By Joseph Cervelli
The most stunning moment in Hilary Bettis' uninvolving and labored new play "72 Miles To Go...." at the Laura PelsTheatre is the physical transformation that occurs in one of the five characters near the end of the show. You might be tempted, as I, to immediately check your Playbill to see if there was another actor taking over. No makeup change nor prosthetics. Just a few minor alterations, and it was quite amazing. You may find yourself staring at the actor and losing concentration of the dialogue which would not be a huge loss for nothing of much significance is spoken about.
It is hard to conceive of a play that deals with immigration and DACA turning out to be so dull and situations just don't really make a great deal of sense or fully explained.
Billy (Triney Sandoval) is a Unitarian minister who lives with his daughter Eva (Jacqueline Guile) who is about to graduate high school as class valedictorian and son Aaron (Tyler Alvarez) who is apprehensive about entering ninth grade. His other adult adopted son, Christian (Bobby Moreno), who for reasons never delved into has a love/hate relationship with his stepdad Billy plans on moving out to live with his pregnant girlfriend. Years earlier Billy went into the desert from Tucson where the play takes place to give water to escaping Mexicans from Nogales which is as the title indicates 72 miles away from Arizona. He falls in love with one of the Mexican women, Anita (Maria Elena Ramirez) whom he sees with her young child Christian and marries. Unfortunately, years later she gets deported. There is really no indication as to why Christian has such a dislike for Billy whom we never see displaying any animosity towards the young man. I wish Bettis had explored this instead of just having Christian show vindictiveness towards his stepdad.
Much of the play's dialogue is meandering which never amounts to a great deal and situations that never don't really make a lot of sense. Why would Eva who is class valedictorian decide to wait for her mother to return to the States which could take years postpone entering college when it is clear enough she has the ability. With her grades she should be able to qualify for a scholarship, since money is never discussed as an issue preventing her from attending. Aaron is such a bright young man whose passion is science that when a few years later is granted a scholarship to Berkeley decides to enter the armed services. It is true that Christian whom he clearly emulates was a Marine but things have become more precarious, and it just does not ring true. And while we hear Anita's voice through phone calls which she frequently makes to them for some strange reason the children don't seem as emotionally moved as you would expect. It was as if she was calling from visiting a relative in the next state.
Billy's conversations are filled with inane jokes and Sandoval gives a rather slack, unemotional performance.
The other performances are all acceptable if nothing more under Jo Bonney's uninspired direction.
What is most upsetting is that there was a great opportunity here for a play that would ignite some discussion and move us with what is occurring in our country today. Yet, with the stale jokes from Billy and the innocuous conversations between the kids it just leaves us flat.
Tickets are available at the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre 111 West 46th Street.
PHOTOS: JEREMY DANIEL
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